Hundreds march through Wigan town centre for pride celebrations

• A snippet of the celebrations at Wigan Pride 2023

Hundreds marched through the Wigan town centre for the borough's annual pride celebrations.

Despite the rain, people lined the streets to cheer on drag queens, LGBTQ+ charities and other organisations taking part in the parade.

The vibrant parade kicked off at King Street, travelled through Mesnes Park before heading back to Believe square.

One of Wigan Pride organiser's Dan said this year’s parade was bigger and even better than the previous year, despite a few showers.

He said: "Every year, we've been surprised by how many people come out and celebrate and just shows how diverse the area really is."

Dan added: "We've definitely had worse weather than this. Last year we were really lucky in having bright sunlight all day, if anything it was too hot.

"But 2019 is the one I always remember, it was drenching, but people still showed up came out with their umbrellas, rainbows everywhere and we still have a really good time."

The council has backed Wigan pride since it first began eight years ago in 2015.

Wigan Councillor Laura Flynn also took part in the parade and spoke at this year's pride event.

She says Wigan Pride "means an incredible lot to Wigan Council and too all residents in the borough".

She continued: "It's a fantastic day to have fun, to celebrate, to be really visible, but to also really show that the LGBT+ community across Wigan are really valued and they have a place in our community.

"We want them to feel part of it today, but it's also fantastic to see a lot of allies and others coming out today."

The councillor said that it has also been "a great day for people to explore, to understand and celebrate" the diversity in the borough.

Two famous Drag performers, Cheddar Gorgeous and Sminty Drop, who both rose to fame as part of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK last year, made their debut on The Unity Stage at this year's pride.